Bengal Files: ‘Dragging down his image’ — Gopal Mukherjee’s grandson files complaint against director Vivek Agnihotri
‘Agnihotri… is seen openly referring to my grandfather as a butcher and talking about… alleged violent actions that reportedly took place during Direct Action Day,’ Shantanu Mukherjee wrote in the complaint
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, director of The Bengal Files, faces more trouble as the grandson of Gopal Mukherjee — popularly known as ‘Gopal Patha’ — has filed a complaint at Bowbazar Police Station, accusing him of showing his grandfather in poor light.
Shantanu Mukherjee, the grandson, alleged that the film had tarnished the image of his grandfather, who, he said, “was a brave heart who had taken up arms to fight for the Bengalis.” He told The Indian Express, “I have filed a complaint with my local police station (Bowbazar police station) and my lawyer has also sent a legal notice to the director for tarnishing the image of my grandfather.”
According to him, Agnihotri neither took the family’s permission nor approached them before making the film. “The director never took any permission from us or even tried to meet us and speak to us regarding my grandfather. Derogatory terms were used against my grandfather,” he said.
In his complaint letter, Shantanu wrote: “… Recent interviews of the said Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri about my late grandfather Sri Gopal Chandra Mukherjee have been spoken of and depicted in a very poor light and in an utterly defamatory manner. Till date, there has not been any research project on my grandfather across Indian universities and hence, each info available in the social arena stem from us and except it, all is hearsay.”
The letter continues, “What hurts us is that such efforts are not alien to us; previously, loads of despicable endeavours aimed at dragging down the image of my late grandfather Sri Gopal Chandra Mukherjee had occurred, leaving the entire family in utter shock. Not only his words or deeds, but his ideological conviction along with his interpretation of the historic struggle was also denigrated, and the same is occurring recurrently at present by the said Vivek Agnihotri, who is seen openly referring to my grandfather as a butcher and is seen talking about his involvement in alleged violent actions that reportedly took place during Direct Action Day, thus besmirching his reputation as a freedom fighter… I, therefore, request you to accept this complaint to stop this imminent unchecked enterprise of The Bengal Files and to take all lawful steps including lodging an FIR against the said film director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the officials of his film production companies.”
Meanwhile, Agnihotri claimed that the Kolkata Police had stopped the trailer launch of The Bengal Files — based on the 1946 Calcutta Riots — at the “last moment” on Saturday afternoon. The event was to be held at a five-star hotel, but according to police sources, permission for the screening had not been granted despite Agnihotri’s email request.
The BJP condemned the move, while Agnihotri questioned whether Bengal followed a “special constitution.”
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Written and directed by Agnihotri, The Bengal Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi, and is slated for release on September 5.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
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Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal. ... Read More
